Method and apparatus for facilitating the processes of parturition



- April 25, 1961 o. s. HEYNs 2,981,255 METHOD AND APPARATUS POR PACILITATING TEE PROCESSES OE PARTURITTON Filed Jan. 9, 1957 mi" t /m/ENTOE United States Patent 1 C Ockert S. Heyns, Medical School, Hospital Stz, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Union of South Africa :Filed Jan. 9, 1957, Ser. No. 633,335

Claims priority, application Union of South Africa Jan. 14, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 12S-361) The process of parturition is naturally divided into three stages, in the rst of which the cervical orifice of the uterus is caused to open preparatory to the expulsion of the foetus, while in the second stage the foetus and the uterus, opened during the lirst stage, are displaced towards the pelvic oor for the foetus to be expelled through the gap in the floor constituted by the vaginal canal. In the third stage the placenta is expelled. It is the second and third stages to which this invention refers.

The movements of all stages are produced by muscular contractions of the uterus induced automatically, and by movements of the abdominal diaphragm produced consciously.

The first and third stages and most of the second take place in the abdominal cavity, by which is meant the body cavity the walls of which are defined from above by the abdominal diaphragm, from below by the pelvic tloor and at the sides by the abdominal walls. It has been ascertained that the pressure within the cavity is somewhat above atmospheric. The pressure is, of course, variable in that it is dependent upon the movements of the diaphragm, which, in the processes of parturition, is projected downwardly to promote or to induce the progress of the stages.

It has been established that the proces-s of parturition is facilitated and quickened by setting up a pressure difference across a wall or walls of the cavity referred to above by reducing the pressure to the outside of at least part of the wall or walls.

The object of this invention is to provide apparatus suitable to apply this teaching to the second and third stages.

According to the invention, the apparatus consists in a bed having its head and foot zones hinged to its medial zone, means adjustably to raise the head zone to form a back rest, means to lower the foot end, a hole in the medial zone, a decompression chamber detachably secured to the bed and with a port registering with the hole, means to seal the chamber with the body of a patient on the bed around the pelvic outlet, a vacuum pump connected to the chamber through a valve, a window in the chamber, and a shutter to occlude the hole in the medial zone of the bed.

The development of this basic concept of the invention is dependent upon whether the parturition process is at the time in the first, the second or in the third stage.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a bed with the patient seated ferent sizes.

2,981,255 Patented Apr. 25, 1961 on a decompression chamber during the second stage of labour, and

Figure 2 is a shown in Figure 1.

The apparatus illustrated in Figure-s 1 and 2 consists in a bed 25 the head end 26 of which is pivoted to be capable of being raised to form a back rest, as shown in Figure l. The foot end 27 s inclined downwardly and can be raised to horizontality and clamped there by a stay 28. Thus when the head end 26 is raised and the foot end 27 lowered the bed is transformed into a chair. The head end may be raised and lowered by a leadscrew and nut device 29. The medial portion 30 of the bed is fixed. It is formed with a hole `31. Underneath is situated the upper end of a cylindrical decompression chamber 32, the top of which is gapped at 33 to form a port preferably of kidney shape with a soft rubber or rubber-like rim 34.

With the head end 26 of the bed raised, the patient sits upon the decompression chamber, and the rim 34 of the port 33 causes the chamber to be sealed with her body around the pelvic outlet.

The decompression chamber 32 is connected by va pipe 36 to a vacuum pump 37.

Suction is applied to the pelvic outlet more or less in synchronism with the uterine spasms which accompany the second stage of labour; that is to lsay for periods of between 30 and 60 seconds, at intervals of say 60 seconds.

The pulsations of suction are continued until the delivery is imminent. To enable this point to be ascertained the chamber 32 is provided with a window 39, and an electric lamp 40 is mounted within the chamber.

The head end 26 of the bed is then lowered to bring the patient to a recumbent position, a shutter 41 is slid into place over the hole 31 and delivery is elfected.

Experience has shown that the results of the method perspective view of part of the bed of the invention during the second stage of labour are some births requiring instruments will proceed normally,

and that some Caesarean operations will be rendered unnecessary.

The handling of the third stage of labour is akin to that of the second since again the method of the invention is to apply a differential pressure across the pelvic Hoor to assist in the extraction of the placenta. After delivery the shutter 41 is withdrawn, the head end 26 of the bed is raised and the foot end 27 lowered, to bring the patient into a sitting posture on the port 33, and suction is applied. It is found that by the method 0f the invention the third stage of labour is in most cases reduced to a period of the order of one to three minutes, after the placenta has separated.

A highly important feature of the invention is that, after extraction of the placenta, the suction applied tends 'to cause strong contraction of the uterus and thus to avoid post-partum haemorrhage. Experience has shown that even where haemorrhage has occurred the effect of suction is to staunch the ow of blood and that it has not been necessary to administer oxytoxics.

It is scarcely necessary to say that in practice the chamber 32 is one of a set, to cater for women of dif- In the case of the chamber 32, the upper part containing the rim 34 may be replaceable by any one of a set to vary the size of the rim. f

Finally, it should be pointed out that the use of the apparatus very much increases the eiciency of the muscles of the uterus, and that there is no indication of ill eiects to the mother or the child.

I claim:

1. Apparatus to facilitate and quickenthe second and third stages of labour in childbirth, consisting in a bed v.having its head and foot zones hinged to its medial zone, means adjustably to raise the head zone to form a back rest, means to lower the foot end, a hole in the medial zone, a decompression chamber detachably secured to the bed and with a port registering with the hole, means to seal the chamber with the body of a patient on the bed around the pelvic outlet, a vacuum pump connected to the chamber through a valve, a window in the chamber, and a shutter to occlude the hole in the medial zone of the bed.

2. The apparatus of claim il in which the port in the chamber that registers with -the hole in the bed is defined by the sealing means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 136,663 Moore Mar. 11, 1873 959,379 Otis May 24, 1910 2,597,637 Heidenwolf May 20, 1952 2,749,558 Lent et al. June 12, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS v 8,592 Great Britain Iuly 16, 1885 165,879 Austria May 10, 1950 518,840 vCanada. Nov. 22, 1955 

